Comparison

Amplenote vs Minimal | Notes

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Amplenote

This app offers a secure and flexible way to manage notes and tasks. It features rich footnotes, bi-directional linking, and robust sharing options, all while prioritizing data security and seamless syncing across devices. Organize your thoughts and to-dos efficiently with customizable features and offline access.

Highlights
  • Vault encrypted notes
  • Seamless syncing across devices
  • Rich footnotes with mixed media
  • Integrated notes and tasks
  • Bi-directional linking
  • Note tagging and organization
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

*** Your security is our priority *** - Data security differentiates us from popular to-do list apps - All note contents are encrypted at rest on our servers - Notes can be Vault Encrypted with a password that's never sent to our servers - Your note content is available for download at any time *** Built on seamless syncing *** - Along with data security, accurate syncing is at our core - Designed for heavy users who often switch between the same notes on mobile and desktop - Our sync is fully compatible with Vault Notes (even though we can't decrypt their content) ***Expression is our cornerstone *** - Rich Footnotes that hold text, code, images, or all the above is our flagship feature - Easily insert images into notes, or even into text within notes - A range of the finest markdown stylings at your disposal *** Notes and tasks: better together *** - Text, code, to-do tasks, and images all live inside the same note - Tasks can be customized to recur at flexible intervals or hidden until later - Tasks are automatically removed from your to-do list when completed *** As organized as you are *** - Connect notes with bi-directional linking - Note tags allow multi-level taxonomy to organize notes - Browse these taxonomies like directories - Recreate OneNote browsing hierarchies seamlessly *** Flair for sharing *** - Any note can be instantly shared and edited by multiple parties - Publish notes (including their Rich Footnotes!) to the web with one tap - Shared to-do lists can help a team stay on top of shared responsibilities *** Built for personal productivity *** - Set up any task to repeat relative to when you last got it done - Track how much you're getting done over time with our automatic task graph - Designate tasks as "Urgent" or "Important" to use proven priority techniques *** More than ample enough for power users *** - Simplified, clean UI is efficiently functional - Contextual keyboard toolbar puts the relevant actions at your fingertips - Quick opener allows opening any recently used note in ~3 taps - *** No internet? No problem *** - Continue working offline within new or cached notes - All work will automatically sync once back online *** Ample: no more, no less *** - We won't settle for becoming bloated with non-essential features - We work across mobile and web. *** Get started instantly *** - Use our Evernote Importer to bring your notes from the olden times *** Account required *** - An active Amplenote account is required to use Amplenote. - New accounts automatically receive a 14-day free trial of the Pro plan. - At the end of the trial period, you may choose between the free plan (Personal) or one of the paid plans. - You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase. - 1 month and 1 year durations are available for Basic, Pro, and Founder subscription levels. - Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Current subscriptions may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase - Privacy policy: https://www.amplenote.com/privacy_policy - Terms of use: https://www.amplenote.com/terms_of_service

About

Minimal | Notes

This app offers a distraction-free writing environment inspired by meditation. It features collaborative writing, note expiration, and the ability to publish notes as websites. Organize tasks with integrated to-do lists and sync across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Note Lifetime reminders
  • Collaborative writing
  • Publish notes as websites
  • Todo lists sync with Calendar
  • Beautiful formatting
  • Sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Features
Read full description

Write with focus. Open your mind with Minimal, a meditation-inspired notes and writing app. Minimal combines thoughtful, modern design with powerful features to deliver a spacious, beautiful writing environment. • Note Lifetime • Collaborative writing • Publish notes as websites • Add Todos to the Calendar app • Beautiful formatting • Sync everywhere: Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch Minimal is a simple yet powerful notes app. Inspired by meditation, nature, and architectural design, Minimal provides a beautiful space to think, write, and organize projects. NOTE LIFETIME The Note Lifetime keeps your notebook fresh and reflective of the present moment. When a note goes unedited for a duration you choose in settings, you’ll be gently notified. This is an opportunity to review the note, act on it, or let it go. COLLABORATIVE WRITING Share notes with friends, family, and teammates. With a gentle design, writing remains focused and tranquil, even as thoughts merge and ideas multiply. Everyone receives changes as notes evolve, and multiple people can make edits at the same time without conflict. FOCUSED + SPACIOUS DESIGN Minimal is designed so only one element is ever in focus. We love the beauty of a blank page – abundant empty space allows for an ease of creative expression. PUBLISH AS WEBSITE Transform notes into beautifully-formatted websites in microseconds. TODO LISTS Todo lists are an effective way to organize projects and complete tasks. Sync with the Calendar app, get things done, and check everything off. BEAUTIFUL FORMATTING Minimal combines Markdown-style formatting with elegant typography. The result is simple, expressive notes that make it easy to think and write. SYNC EVERYWHERE Bring focus to your favorite devices. Minimal is designed for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Cloud Sync is fast, reliable, and invisible. SHARE, EXPORT, IMPORT You’re in control of your notes. Share directly in iMessage, export as PDF or HTML, and use the system share mechanism to take notes anywhere. Importing links + prose into Minimal is just as easy. CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING The best notebook is personal. We made everything in Minimal customizable, from fonts + themes to sorting notes + note actions. You can also build custom workflows using the Shortcuts app. A LITTLE GIFT Wow, thanks for reading. As a little gift for tuning in, these are our favorite musicians -> Somi, Snarky Puppy, and London Grammar. They’re jazzy and introspective, just how we like it. Enjoy. —— For help, write us at team@minimal.app or on Twitter at @minimalnotesapp. To learn about our terms + approach to privacy, visit https://minimal.app/terms. We offer a long free trial and make cancellation easy. After that, Minimal costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. These prices are in USD and may vary by region. Cancel in your iTunes account settings at least 24 hours before renewal.

Screenshots

Amplenote4 screens
Minimal | Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Amplenote at free with in-app purchases against Minimal | Notes's subscription. Amplenote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Amplenote sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Minimal | Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Amplenote against 4.7 for Minimal | Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 492 and 294 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Amplenote's written reviews are positive against 81% of Minimal | Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Amplenote ships an update weekly, Minimal | Notes monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Amplenote versus Minimal | Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmplenoteMinimal | Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (492 ratings)4.7 (294 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews81.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings492 — better294
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlloy.dev, Inc.Timeless

Customer experience

Amplenote

All ratings492 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative19.3%

Minimal | Notes

All ratings294 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews375 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral6.4%
Negative12.3%

User reviews

Amplenote

From 492 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Game Changer
  • 🚀 Powerful Task Management
  • 👍 Intuitive Workflow
  • 👍 Excellent Note-Taking
  • 👍 Great Calendar Integration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Accessibility Issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and Glitches
  • 👎 Steep Learning Curve
  • 👎 Subpar iPad Experience
  • 👎 Lacking Dark Mode

Minimal | Notes

From 294 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
  • 👍 Beautiful and simple design
  • 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 👍 Customizable appearance and formatting
  • 🚀 Responsive and helpful developer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Lack of password protection or locking for notes
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model

Bugs and requests

Amplenote

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Widgets not working on iOS
  • Calendar integration issues
  • Task pane glitches on iPad

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to increase text size
  • Improved search functionality
  • Kanban-style task management
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Customizable calendar views
Show 1 more
  • Automatic event creation

Minimal | Notes

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when using certain formatting or pasting content
  • Syncing issues between iOS and macOS versions
  • Incompatibility with older macOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to insert images or attachments
  • Improve iCloud sync reliability
  • Implement a folder-based organization system
  • Add a word/character count feature

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Amplenote

Subscriptions11
  • Basic Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Pro Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Ample Agent Pro - Monthly$7.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Pro Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Unlimited Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Founder Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Basic Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Pro Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Pro Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Unlimited Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Founder Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$239.991 Year
3 purchases

Minimal | Notes

Subscriptions3
  • Minimal Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Minimal Annual14 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Minimal Family Plan14 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Amplenote free?
Amplenote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Minimal | Notes free?
Minimal | Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Amplenote or Minimal | Notes?
Minimal | Notes is rated higher. Amplenote averages 4.6 out of 5 from 492 ratings, while Minimal | Notes averages 4.7 from 294 ratings.
Do Amplenote or Minimal | Notes have ads?
Neither Amplenote nor Minimal | Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Amplenote or Minimal | Notes?
Amplenote ships an update weekly, and Minimal | Notes monthly. Most recently, Amplenote was updated on October 10, 2026 and Minimal | Notes on October 14, 2026.

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